Reporting

Before the next chicken-processing plant is built in southern Delaware, or prior to approving 200 new homes in the next town over, some health experts say it makes sense to pause for a moment and evaluate the overall impact on a community.

The Breathmobile, an asthma clinic on wheels, helps hundreds of California schoolchildren receive the help they need to stave off trips to the hospital.

The taboo subject of suicide makes can make it difficult for the survivors to find happiness and the ability to move on.

Cheesecake Factory has its SkinnyLicious menu. At Taco Bell you can order a Fresco taco. This "stealth health" approach squeezes the calories out, making food a little better for you. But the key, says one expert, is not to make a big deal about it.

Sensory impaired children or those with conditions such as asthma or diabetes benefit from “habilitative services" that teach them skills and abilities needed manage their conditions. As the Affordable Care Act gets implemented the question remains: who will pay for these services?

Suicide survivors, those left behind after a loved one kills himself or herself, discuss dealing with the tragedy and how its stigma needs to be overcome.

Those left behind after a loved-one commits suicide often experience a wide range of grief reactions, including shock, depression, abandonment and even post-traumatic stress syndrome. Some experience relief, particularly if the suicide followed a long and difficult mental illness.

Each year, asthma attacks send tens of thousands of California children to the emergency room. Some are admitted to the hospital for days. In 2010, the state had more than 11,000 such admissions, costing an average of $19,000 apiece. Pollution plays a role.

In high school, Pamela Tapia spent more time at home with her inhaler than at school with her teachers. Now that she has moved just a few miles away from the poor air quality in West Oakland, for the first time in four years, she celebrated an asthma-free birthday.